Attachment for telephone hook switches



H. L. s. WILLIAMS.

ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE HOOKSWITCHES. APPucAnou FILED N'0v.19. i920.

' 1,418,764.- PatentedJune 5, 1922.

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HENRY L. S. WILLIAMS, CE MONTE-EAL, QUEBEC, CANADA,

ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ATTACHZMENT FOR TELEPHONE HOOK SWITCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted June 6, 1922,

Application filed November 19,1920. Serial No. 425,072.

This invention relates in general to tele-- phone book switches and particularly to attachments for telephone hook switches.

The type of attachment to which the invention particularly relates is called a battery saver. Such devices operate to hold the hook switch lever in an intermediate semi-operated position upon removal of the receiver from the hookr Upon operation,

f the device usually manual, the hook lever is permitted to rise to a fully operated posi tion. Hook switches provided with such devices are applicable for use in connection with party line substation sets in either manual or automatic system's. Party lines, especially rural or farmers lines are provided with a number of subscribers sets bridged across the line which if operated simultaneously, interfere greatly with the quality of telephonic transmission. With the use of this invention and a proper arrangement of the substation circuits, a party may, by removing the receiver from the hook, first listen to ascertain whether the line be busy or idle without interfering with the transmission of the line. By operating a device to allow the hook switch to assume its fully operative position, further circuit changes are affected to include the party in the conversation or to perform such operations as are necessary to call a desired party.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved form of such a battery saver which shall be inexpensive and positive in its action. Most of the battery savers at present in use, operateto restore by the force of gravity. In this invention the device is restored to its normal position by the down ward motion of the switch hook lever thereby insuring its operation.

In its preferred form the invention consists of a plate which normally obstructs the upward motion of the receiver hook lever Telephone Hookon its downward stroke the lever pushes the plate back to its normal position.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the drawings which show its preferred embodiment. Fig. 1, is a general view of a hook switch with the invention attached thereto. -Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4: show views of the invention illustrating its method of operation, the hook lever being shown in cross section. In all of the figures similar reference characters designate similar parts.

To a suitable wall member 1, is atached a switch mounting 2, by means of screws 3 and 4t. Secured between the switch mounting 2 and the wall member 1, is a plate 5 on which are mounted spring contact members 6 and 7 adapted to be connected in an electrical. circuit by means of the lugs 8 and 9 in which the contact members 6 and 7 respectively terminate.

A hook lever 10, is pivotally mounted on the switch mounting 2 by means of the screw 11. The hook lever 10 is provided .with a heel projection 12 adapted to operate the contact members 6 and 7 of the hook lever 10.

Mounted upon the switch mounting 2, is a hook shaped spring 13, pressing at its hook end against the heel projection 12. The pressure of spring 13 produces a tendency in the lever 10 to rise. Cooperating with the spring 13 are a number of spring contact members 14 which are adapted to be moved into contact with each other and with the spring l3 when the hook lever 10 has risen to its uppermost limit.

An escutcheon plate 15 on the side of the wall 1 opposite the mounting 2 is held in place by the screws 3 and 1. The shanks at the head ends of the screws l are enlarged slightly so that when the screws are tightened the enlarged shanks fit against the escutcheon 15 leaving the enlarged shank of the screw 4 to project a short distance for purposes hereinafter described.

A latch member 16 is provided with aperupon motion ASSIGNOR '10 WESTERN tures 17 of an inverted L. shape so that one slot 19 extends vertically and the other slot 20 extends horizontally and to the left of slot 19. The screws 41 extend through these slots, and the latch member 16 is adapted by means of these slots to slide on the enlarged portion of the shanks of these screws. The latch member 16 extends transversely across the path of the hook lever 10 and when the latch 16 is supported in the horizontal slots 20 the motion of the hook lever is obstructed approximately midway in its travel as shown in Fig. 3. In this position the contact members 6 and 7 are adjusted to contact while the contact members 1 1 are still out of contact.

In order to permit further upward motion of hook lever 10 it is necessary that the latch member 16 be moved to the left so that the hook lever may push the latch up, the screws 4 then being positioned in the slots 19 as shown in Fig. 4:. For this purpose,

the end portion of the latch 16 is bent out at right angles to form a finger piece 21 against which the subscriber presses to manually operate the device. In the released position, of the lever 10 the contact members 1a are adjusted to contact under the influence of spring 13.

To restore the latch 16 to its normal position as shown in Fig. 2, a tongue 22, integral with the latch 16, is provided which extends downward a distance substantially equal to the depth of the hook lever 10 and then ang'ularly downward in the direction of the hook lever. The downward and sideward pressures of the hook lever against the tongue 22 when a receiver is placed on the hook, pushes the latch 16 from its position as shown in Fig. 4 to its normal position as shown in Fig. 2.

The advantage of a construction such as this is self-evident since there is practically no chance that the apparatus will stick or fail to restore.

What is claimed is: I

1. A latch device tor a telephone receiver hook, comprising a plate member positioned across the path of such receiver hook to limit the upward motion thereof, supporting means upon which the said plate member is slidable horizontally and vertically to release the receiver hook, and a tongue-like projection integral with said plate and cooperative with the said .receiver hook to restore the said plate member to its normal position.

2. A latch device for a telephone receiver hook, comprising a plate member positioned across the path of such receiver hook to limit the upward motion thereof, said plate being provided with a plurality of slots, support ing means cooperating with said slots upon which means the plate is sidewise slidable to release the said receiver hook, and a tongue-like projection integral with said plate and cooperative with the said receiver hook to restore the said plate member to its normal position.

3. A latch device tor a telephone receiver hook, comprising a plate member provided with a pair of L shaped slots; supporting means cooperating with the said plate and the slots therein to support said plate in. the path of the telephone receiver hook, normally to limit the upward motion of the said hook said plate being normally operable to permit a lull upward movement of: said hook and means operated by the downward movement of the receiver hook to restore the plate to its normal position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twelfth day of November, A. D., 1920.

HENRY L. S. WVILLIAMS. 

